Saturday, July 2, 2011

I've tried a number of cleansing waters in the past from lines like Shiseido Pureness, Shu Uemura and Dior. Unfortunately the ones I fell in love with have been discontinued or reformulated and have been looking for another love for quite some time. I tried Lancome Eau Fraîche Douceur, a cleanser-toner, somewhat by accident. It was one of those weeks when I ran out of all my basics for skincare all at the same time. Not having time to shop and replenish that week, I dug into my sample drawer of unused minis from gifts-with-purchases. Lancome's Cleansing Water seemed to fit the bill for a quick-fix to tone and cleanse in one step. It was a last-resort kind of thing and I'm glad I tried it. It's done wonders for my skin and has reached the status of one of those life-changer beauty products for me.

Product Description: "Pamper and purify your skin with this refreshing cleansing water that instantly removes face, lip and eye makeup in one easy step. This magic formula with gentle Micellar Technology cleansing agents and soothing Rose de France, lifts and removes makeup and impurities, even waterproof and long-wear formulas, with no need to rinse."

This Lancome Cleansing Water currently retails for $35 for 6.8 fl oz (see more details on Lancome.com). It's a gentle makeup remover for the entire face and comes in a sleek clear bottle with a well-designed pump. The packaging is sturdy and easy to use. The pump dispenses just the right amount so nothing is wasted by over-pouring. Although it's designed as a makeup remover, I use this more as a purifying toner/cleanser.

Two pumps spritzed onto the cotton square is enough to cover the entire face. At $35 I find it fairly expensive for a makeup remover, but for a toner it seems to be decent priced. It will remove mascara and eyeliner, but not 100% for those long-wear formulas. For makeup removal in the evenings, I typically soak a cotton pad with a dual-formula makeup remover (something inexpensive like Neutrogena) to remove the eyeliner and mascara. I then cleanse the face completely with soap and water and dry. Next I tone. This is the point where I will sometimes use Lancome's Eau Fraîche Douceur instead of toner just to make sure any remnants of makeup left on the skin are completely removed.

For those who haven't read my skincare posts before, I have relatively normal but extremely sensitive skin. I get red bumps or irritation from quite a few products. With this Lancome Cleansing Water, there was no irritation or drying from daily use of this product. There is a very faint scent which I would describe as "clean." I was amazed at how much extra makeup was removed from my face even after cleansing the skin with my regular Clinique Foaming Facial Cleanser. It clarifies the skin to make it feel clean but not dry. Some cleansing waters are too rich for my taste leaving a slightly sticky feel leaving a thin film on the surface of the skin. The Lancome leaves no film.

I've been using this since around March/April. I do not use it everyday, but alternate with my La Mer and Paul & Joe Toners. Since using this, combined with Chanel's Ultra Lift Concentrate (previously reviewed here, update to come soon), my skin has improved tremendously. It feels cleaner, there are fewer breakouts and it overall just looks and feels clearer. The mini 1.7 fl oz lasted quite a long time for me. Since using it up, I've kept the little bottle and refilled it for travel.

8 comments:

Ooo this sounds great, I will definitely check this one. Lancome has an interesting range of toners acually.I cannot recommend the Bioderma Crealine H2O enough as a cleanser/makeup remover. I heard about it first from Lisa Eldridge's videos and then kept hearing raves, I can safely say that it worth all the hype, at least for me. Happy long weekend!

great skincare review. i've never ever heard of this product before and this is exactly what i am looking for - a toner/makeup remover - to remove any last traces of makeup that my cleanser may have missed. i am a huge fan of lancomes bi facil eye makeup remover so i am certain i would love this too. thanks for sharing x

I am a cleansing water newbie and will be trying it for the first time when I get the one that Chanel is finally releasing in the US as a Nordstrom anniversary sale exclusive. I also have very sensitive skin and have long been intrigued by the concept of cleansing water but never really knew much about them. Thank you for the timely review.

Thanks for your timely post. I've just begun to appreciate cleasing waters, so like Eileen, I'm also a relative newbie. I got a generous sample of YSL's cleansing water a few years ago and used it primarily as a toner. I loved it because it seemed to work better than the other toners I had, not realizing that it was also a cleanser! Unfortunately, they reformulated it and now the scent is overpowering. I'm now using Dior and love it too.

Hi! I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how I can get whiter skin. Well, summer's already over here in the Philippines and all throughout the season, I was jumping from one beach to the next. Ultimately, I got this really dark tan and I want to return to my normal color soon. If possible, even fairer. Do you have any suggestions? :)

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